For the moment...they won't be forever; there are always swings and roundabouts. Presumably Howard figured that out after he lost government and his own seat due (in part at least) to Work Choices.
IMO the Qld ALP lost a lot of votes due to the unannounced asset sales, which most unions (and their members) were very much opposed to.
Labour Day is the day for workers and the actual trade unions, not the ALP. Apparently they got a slightly better turn out than the previous year despite the ALP's well deserved trouncing at the polls and the federal government's abysmal polling in Queensland. One doesn't necessarily follow the other.
Actually the Queensland Labor Party
is obsolete and has been since 1962; I assume you're referring to the ALP Queensland?
Queensland Labor Party - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
IIRC the ALAEA is not affiliated with the Labor Party.